Hiring Constituents into Staff Roles
Where can you find a vetted pool of diverse candidates who embrace your organization’s culture and mission? Take a look at your constituents and you might find an invaluable resource. Volunteers, corps members, fellows, alumni and clients are often prime candidates for permanent staff roles and provide the opportunity to fulfill your organization’s social mission from the inside out.
Best Practices for Hiring Constituents
Experienced nonprofit managers follow a few best practices when considering their constituents for staff roles.
1. Determine the unique value of constituents
To start, it is important to determine the unique value to your organization for hiring a constituent. For example, Brett Alessi, Managing Director for Education Pioneers, notes, “When hiring for an external facing role such as director of alumni engagement, hiring one of our fellowship alums adds a level of credibility. [Hiring a constituent] illustrates that we value the ‘product’ of our program.”
In addition to building credibility externally, another value of hiring a constituent is knowledge of an individual’s core competencies and personality traits. According to Brett, “When we’re hiring one of our own, it means that we have in-depth knowledge of their strengths and blind spots. This increases the odds of the hire being a good fit.”
When considering constituents for roles, loop back to these values and weigh them against the individual’s other skills and experiences. As discussed later in this article, candidates must still bring the other requirements of a given role to the table.
2. Promote hiring opportunities from the inside out
To encourage constituents to consider permanent roles at your organization, it is important to make it easy for this group to learn about and apply for job openings. Some organizations give their volunteers or corps members an early “heads up” about new staff positions.
For example, Elaine Mak, Director of Talent Management at City Year, shared that, “We roll out an internal transfer process during our hiring season which lists what positions are open across our network of sites to all of our senior corps members.”
Constituents feel especially valued when they receive information about any open positions, so don’t overlook this highly motivated group of potential applicants.
3. Systematize the process
Partner with your IT or Operations teams to flag potential candidates in your internal systems that track constituent information. For example, create a special designation in your volunteer database for individuals who could be considered for full-time roles.
Additionally, consider methods that will save you time and effort in the future. For example, add questions asking constituents if they would be interested in working in program roles in the future to volunteer or fellowship applications, feedback surveys, and exit interviews. Keeping that information accessible and up-to-date in a database will help streamline future hiring processes.
Hiring Challenges & Common Mistakes
There are a few challenges hiring managers face when considering constituents for staff roles, all of which are avoidable by probing on any potential issues prior to extending an offer. In these situations, hiring managers want to make sure they are hiring for skill, attitude, and fit, without undermining the mission of the organization.
Before making a constituent hire, it is important to fully assess the candidate’s skill set, not merely their performance in their current capacity. Dedication and excellent performance as a volunteer or corps member may not always translate into programmatic roles. To address this situation, ask probing questions during the interview to confirm your constituent has the skills and competencies your organization needs. (For more information on this topic, read our article about competency-based hiring.)
It is also key to explore the attitude and motivations of constituent candidates. During the interview process, ask questions that confirm that your potential hire’s attitude (such as the enthusiasm of a volunteer or the dedication of a board member) will not change. Discussing attitude and motivations before an offer is made will also help smooth the transition for the constituent, and set expectations from the getgo.
As with every hire, organizational fit is also an important component. Based on their current role, you are already aware that this candidate believes in and supports your organization’s mission. This is a valuable piece of information. However, fit is more than mission-connect. During the hiring process, seek the input of other staff to ensure the candidate’s workstyle and personality will fit in with the day-to-day culture of the organization.
Finally, avoid undermining your organization’s mission in the hiring process. As Jenn Camus, Associate Director of Recruitment for Uncommon Schools, noted, “We always encourage our teachers to stay in the classroom. We would never poach. But, if someone expresses interest in an out-of-classroom role, we are very open to that.”
